Wake Forest University School of Law has the top bar passage rate among top tier law schools in North Carolina for students who took the N.C. Bar exam in July 2012.

Ninety-two percent of Wake Forest graduates taking the state bar exam for the first-time passed, according to the N.C. Board of Law Examiners. That’s compared with an 79 percent first-time bar exam passage rate for all North Carolina law schools.

Of Wake Forest’s 71 first-time bar exam takers, 65 passed and 100 percent of the law school’s repeat takers also passed, giving the law school an overall pass rate of 92 percent.

“The exemplary bar passage rate is a testament to our students’ hard work and determination,” said Wake Forest University School of Law Dean Blake Morant. “I would like to express special appreciation to Tracey Coan, who, as our director of academic support, has led the effort to ensure that our students have the guidance and preparation necessary to succeed as they prepared to take the exam.”

A total of 1,194 took the North Carolina bar exam. For those taking the exam for the first time, the state pass rate was 79 percent; for repeat takers, the pass rate was 40 percent. The overall pass rate for all takers of 2012 July Bar was 73 percent.

The two-section exam includes 12 essay questions designed to test knowledge of North Carolina law and 200 multiple-choice questions that test general knowledge of U.S. law.